Senator Robinhood "Robin" C. Padilla has scored the failure of the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) to address the shortage of water in Marawi City, more than five years after terrorist groups laid siege to it.
‘’This is unacceptable,’’ Padilla said as he vowed to scrutinize the LWUA's budget for 2023, after he was angered by the explanations of LWUA strategy management department manager Rodney Peralta on why Marawi City still has no stable water supply up to now.
"Kasi magmula pang 2017, yan na ang problema. Ang foundation ko, ginawa namin masolusyonan ang tubig (Since 2017, that has been the problem. My foundation tried to introduce a solution to the water problem)," Padilla said at the hearing of the Senate special committee on Marawi City rehabilitation and victims compensation.
"Itong LWUA na ito, noong 2022 binigyan sila ng napakalaking budget pero ngayong 2023 binawasan sila ng 98 porsyento (This LWUA was given a big budget for 2022 but for 2023 it was slashed by 98 percent).Siguro isang papatunay yan na di nagtatrabaho ang mga ito... (This is a sign that it is not doing its job...). Hindi katanggap-tanggap sa akin yan. Limang taon na. Kung ito kahapon lang, pwede ko matanggap pero nakita ko ang paghihirap ng kapatid ko doon. Hindi ko gusto ang nangyari sa kanila doon (The LWUA's explanation is not acceptable to me. It has been five years. Had it been just yesterday, I would have accepted it - but I have seen our brethren in Marawi suffer, and I do not want that)," he added.
Padilla told the LWUA representative that when the Senate holds its budget hearings in October, "asahan ninyo ang pagmumukha ko doon (expect to see me there).”
The lawmaker pointed out water is very important to Muslims like him. He noted that in 2017, he went there and helped set up a temporary water supply facility.
According to him, he cannot accept Peralta's explanation that the water facility is still in the "design stage" and that it could not be finalized because of unresolved issues with the Philippine Army in the area.
For his part, Marawi Mayor Majul Gandamra said the implementation of the water supply is lodged with the LWUA, adding the city government is ready to help and coordinate with the Philippine Army and the LWUA.
"Pasensya na kayo, ang sinasabi ninyong problema maso-solve ng isang upuan (I am sorry but the problem you described can be solved in one sitting). Ang nangyari parang turuan. Itinuro nyo ang Army, ang dami ninyong tinuro. Ang tanong, gusto nyo bang bigyan ng tubig ang tao sa Marawi 9What is happening is that there is finger-pointing. You blame the Army and so many others. The question is, do you want to give water to Marawi's residents or not)?" Padilla told Peralta.
"Sana maayos itong tubig, tubig ang mahalaga (I hope this problem on water can be solved soonest. Water is so important)," Padilla stressed.
Meanwhile, Padilla said he wants to know from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) on what happened to housing projects in Marawi, as he had donated land to the BARMM for this purpose.
"Gusto natin malaman ano nangyari. Sabi nila tatayuan nila ng bahay (I want to know what happened. The BARMM said it would set up houses). E pinagpala ng Panginoong Diyos senador na tayo, baka kunin ko na lang uli ang lupa, ako na magtayo ng pabahay. Yan ang concern natin (God’s grace I am now a Senator. I might retake the donated land and set up the housing project myself. That is my concern)," he said.
Earlier, Padilla filed Senate Resolution 8 seeking the speedy creation of a compensation board that would process claims from victims of the siege.
He said he said had waited long enough for their compensation.